Episode VIII Continued
by Thegreenfairy52
Summary: The saga continues after The Last Jedi...Ben Solo has to face the choices he made while Rey continues on her jedi journey. Will the First Order be stopped and balance finally brought to the force?
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I am not a huge Star Wars fangirl. I don't know all of the names of all of the planets or every single secondary character (for example I have commited the unholiest of sins by once calling an AT-AT an at at). I have also never read any of the stories or seen any of the show spin offs. This text exists only in the realm of the films which I do love dearly. That being said, I'm writing this as an outlet because I can't wait for 2019 to get answers to what will happen in the story. I will do my best to maintain the integrity of the characters, places, and events from the films but I'm not promising you perfection. I am also not an established writer so if you want to take a chance on a scavenger from Jakku level writer, then by all means continue. I can only convey the thoughts that are filtered through to my fingers as I type. Anyways, if you don't mind imperfections and this humble writers take on where the story may go then maybe give this a read.**_

Episode XIII Continues

 _General Leia Organa and the remaining members of the resistance seek refuge and refocus their efforts on finding allies throughout the galaxy while Rey, the last Jedi, searches for answers in hopes of defeating the First Order once and for all._

 _Meanwhile, the First Order regroups to seek out what is left of the rebellion as their power grows stronger. Kylo Ren has reunited with his powerful allies, the Knights of Ren, establishing a higeracie of power under him as supreme leader._

Red clouds bled through the evening sky and the smell of smoldering ash burned her nose as shrieks of terror rung out in the distance. Her short legs tensed as she ran, trying to escape. Once she found herself in a safe place, she dared to look over her shoulder at her mining village. She choked back a scream as she saw the people she knew and loved being slaughtered and enslaved by the First Order. Gasping for air, the girl looked to her left to see two of them there, the hideous demons known as the Knights of Ren. Ominous creatures standing in the shadows, their masks were illuminated only by the red glow emitted from their lightsabers. She had never seen the likes of them before but had heard enough stories about them reigning down terror on the galaxy, that she was sure it was them. They carried out the evils of Snoke for years while the rest of the First Order worked to crush the Rebellion.

The girl had always sympathized with the Rebellion but felt no immediate obligation to them. Now, in this moment, she knew her place in all of this.

"Monsters," she whispered. Just then, one of them turned their head sharply in her direction. Before she could get another gasp out, a hand grabbed her from behind.

"Rose…we have to get out of here…NOW!"

Her sister Page's face glowed from the reflection of the flames coming from the village. Without hesitation, Rose grabbed hold of her sister and ran down the backside of the hill where she had been hiding.

"Hurry!" Page yelled.

An explosion burst through one of the buildings, causing Rose and her sister to go flying through the air. The ground came rushing towards Rose. Her body cringed, preparing for impact...

"Rose…Rose" a familiar, calm voice grew louder, repeating her name and broke through her thoughts.

Rose blinked back the memory, her emotions still lingered as if the tragic events of the past had happened only moments before. She breathed a sad sigh finding herself in the present with Leia's hand resting on her shoulder.

"You look like you were somewhere else," Leia said in her all knowing way.

"I...I was just remembering what we are fighting for," Rose replied with determination in her voice.

"Did you send them the coordinates?" ask Leia.

"Yes, they should be closing in on the outer rim soon," replied Rose.

"Good, and Rey?"

"She knows what she needs to do…"

Bright, hot balls of gas poured out from the x-wing fighter as Poe Dameron and former stormtrooper, turned resistance hero, Finn blazed across the dark skies of the outer rim. They traveled to the last place in the galaxy hoping to find the allies the rebellion so desperately needed.

"This is it brother, the outer rim, the least traveled and most unruly place in all the galaxy," Poe grinned. "Now, let's go make some friends!"

"Haha! Roger that good buddy!" Finn replied, holding onto what enthusiasm he could for what he ultimately felt was a doomed mission. "I just want to check in one last time before we lose the connection," he said, reaching out to the telecom. "Rey...are you out there?"

Static filled the line, then, the momentary silence was broken…

"Finn, yes I copy!" Rey replied, as she maneuvered the Millennium Falcon out of lightspeed.

"We are approaching the outer rim…" more static broke the communication momentarily but Rey was able to respond.

"I knew you would make it! I am almost to my destination as well. "

"Stay safe Rey…"

"Don't worry about me… I'm going to see an old friend…" said Rey, with a hint of excitement and some uncertainty in her voice.

"I hope you find the answers you are looking for," said Finn.

"Finn…" Rey paused unsure of what to say next, 'Good-by' did not seem quite right. "I know you will find allies for the resistance. I can feel it and I believe in you."

"Thanks Rey...May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you both."

"Catch you on the flip side!" Poe chimed in just as the communication went dead.

Rey looked over to Chewbacca and a glimmer of hope flashed across her face.

"We're here. Let's land this beautiful hunk of junk."

Rey paused briefly before engaging the landing gear...she closed her eyes, the back of her mind fluttered, she could feel something pulling at her thoughts, something was trying to get through.

She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, willing it away. She poured all of her concentration on her task at hand. When she was certain she had regained control, she looked below to see a bright orange glowing planet that waiting for them.

After landing, Rey found herself in a bustling metropolis. Tall structures used to manufacture weapons formed a blockade on either side of the city center. She made her way to a small, rounded building on the far side of the city. Entering the building, she moved slowly, deliberately, so as to not raise alarm with any of the locals. She came to get answers and she knew she had to get in and get out without trouble erupting as it often did wherever she went. Shield by no other than her Jedi cloak, she tugged on the top of her hood to cover her face and cautiously moved forward.

The interior of the building was filled with workers, thieves, and the usual galactic scum.

"Um excuse me there and just WHERE do you think you are going?" a grey, long snouted creature demanded.

Rey was prepared for this sort of thing to happen. Her eye glazed over. She stopped and turned around slowly. Her voice came out monotone and strong. She reached out with her mind and began to speak.

"You will take me to see Maz Kanata. You will take me to her quickly and not let anyone speak to me."

The creature paused, his body stiffened and he repeated Rey's words.

"I will take you to see Maz Kanata. I will take you to her quickly and I will not let anyone speak to you."

Rey nodded and followed behind as the creature moved through the interior of the building to a back stairwell.

The glow from the main hub of the building faded behind them while the creature lead her further down the dark stairwell. As they made their way to the end of the stairs, loud crashing noises came from the distance. A long, dimly lit hallway gave way to an illuminated room. More crashing sounds came from the back of the room. The creature stopped and gestured toward the doorway, leaving Rey to peer into the room.

Stacks of documents and pieces of mechanical parts cluttered the space. A small mound of paperwork in the back began to move suddenly. Rey took a step closer to inspect it and out popped Maz Kanata.

"Haha! Here it is!" she said with excitement. Suddenly aware she was not alone, she adjusted the rims of her eye mechanisms to focus in on Rey.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Rey! The rumored last Jedi of the galaxy. So good to see you child!"

Rey gave a half smile and lowered her cloak hood.

"My, my, my, taking your role as a Jedi quiet seriously these days I see…" Maz said, touching the side of Rey's cloak.

"Thank you Maz but I have not come here to engage in pleasantries."

"I can sense that. I heard what happened on Crait I have been laying low myself. So after all of that, of all creatures, why do you, the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy seek me out?"

Stone faced, Rey pulled out a densely wrapped cloth from under her cloak.

"I was hoping you could help me….with this."

Rey opened the package to reveal the broken Skywalker lightsaber. Maz immediately recognized the weapon that she had had in her possession for so many years.

"My goodness, how in the world did it get like this?" Maz asked.

"It's a long story, one that I think starts with an even longer story…" Rey paused, staring intently at Maz.

Breathing deeply, Maz took the torn saber from Rey. Blinking several times, lost in thought, she finally spoke, "Come with me."

Rey followed Maz out to the back alley of the building. Maz approached a pile of trash that sat rotting and flung a tarp off the pile. The tarp landed on the ground to reveal a rickety old landspeeder.

"There are very few people I trust, but I know someone who can fix the saber. Now get on!"

Rey hesitated and finally swung her leg over the side of the landspeeder. Maz hit the ignition and with a loud sputter and a jolt, they took off.


	2. Chapter 2

The dust settled as Maz Kanata parked the landspeeder outside of a small hut on the outskirts of the city. Dusk was quickly approaching and Maz had been unusually quiet and focused. She lead the way to the front door.

"Kamal...KAMAL…" she yelled, bangging on the door. "Right now is really not the time to be taking a NAP!"

After a few brief moments of silence, dense footsteps trotted toward the door.

"Kanata!" A huge blob of creature wearing a welding mask on his head and a tiny vest appeared at the door.

"What did you bring me today? A lovely girl?" he grinned from ear to ear looking at Rey.

"Don't get your hopes up. I have a very special project for you, probably the most important one of your life. Do I have your attention now?"

The slimy nubs he had for eyebrows above his beady eyes shot up with intrigue.

"It's not every day Maz Kanata comes to you saying this will be the job of your life. Whatcha got?"

"Before I tell you anything, I need you to swear on your life that what I am about to ask you does not leave this place. I am not at all understating it by saying the fate of the galaxy depends on it."

"For the woman who saved me from certain death...anything!"

"No need to be so dramatic about it," she mused.

Maz careful removed the severed lightsaber from her satchel. Kamal's beady eyes grew three times wider.

"I know what you are thinking, and I know what you will need…" In a small pouch hanging from her side, she pulled out a lightsaber crystal. The glow from the crystal filled the room, illuminating Rey's face.

"I have many questions but I figure I won't get answers to any of them," Kamal said.

"That would be correct," Maz replied.

"Very well then, I'll see what I can do." Kamal took the two pieces of the lightsaber and the crystal and motioned for them to come inside.

"Where did you get that?" asked Rey, referring to the crystal.

"There are too many stories to tell today so that one will have to wait for another time," Maz replied.

While Kamal began to gather his tools together, Rey looked around the room. The hut was small, filled with tools and a small fire in the fireplace on the far side of the room. A window in the back of the hut brought in light from the sunset that fell on the barren plain beyond. Rey could feel herself becoming anxious. She knew there was a lot at stake.

Maz, knowing it would take Kamal some time, took Rey's hand.

"Come with me," she said, leading Rey out the back.

They walked across the flat plain for several yards. Maz stopped at a pile of rocks and sat down, motioning for Rey to do the same.

"I know you have a lot weighing on your mind. There is much I have not spoken about for a long time. We seem to never both be in one place long enough for me to tell you what needs to be said." Maz paused and looked out over the horizon. "The stories of darkness from the past, do you know of them?"

Not completely sure what she was referring too Rey shook her head.

"I'm talking my child about the rise of Kylo Ren and his Knights of Ren. I assume you know of Kylo Ren?"

"Yes, we've met," Rey said curtly, "I spent some time with Luke before...before he moved on and he mentioned that when he was training Be...Kylo something went wrong and Kylo destroyed the Jedi temple. He killed all of the Jedi in training, except those that were seduced to the darkside with him."

Maz nodded her head. "Yes, those souls that followed Kylo Ren rose from the ashes of evil to form a powerful group bound to the darkside, the Knights of Ren. They have been reigning terror on the citizens of this galaxy for years under the leadership of Snoke and now, Kylo Ren."

"How do you know about them?" Rey asked, curiosity brimming in her voice.

"In recent years I have heard the stories of their unspeakable evils but how I came to know of the Knights of Ren starts with me meeting Han Solo. I thought of him as I did all of the other scoundrels that frequented my establishment, just a man looking to score the next big thing. I had heard of the stories of his work with the Jedi but they were whispered rumors then. As time went on over the years, Han and I became good friends. I think you could say we trusted each other, as much as two people in our line of work could. He came to me once and asked for something that seemed very out of character for him. He needed my help, saying he would pay me a very large sum to personally oversee events that were going on involving the Jedi and that I was to report back to him with the details frequently. I thought this was odd since he did not seem the type to care and neither was I. Naturally, I did not like the idea of leaving my place, I work with thieves and the like after all but, something inside me told me I needed to go. I needed to see for myself. So I posed as a building engineer and went to the sacred Jedi temple to restore the structure. That's where I saw Luke, training his young apprentices, and it became clear to me why Han was so interested."

"Ben…" Rey interjected.

"Yes," Maz said smiling. Her smile quickly faded into a frown as she continued to recall the story. "The peace I saw and the goodness in those early days was short lived. When the destruction began, it caught us all off guard. It all happened so quickly, I saw Ben Solo go from an anxious young boy to a dark, sinister one. The day it happened, I managed to escape the temple as it crumbled around me, burning to the ground. By the time I made it out, Luke was gone. There was destruction and chaos everywhere. People were dead and hope was lost. I barely had my wits about me, I was so consumed in the turmoil. That's when I saw it, the lightsaber, discarded in the rubble, like it had been thrown away. So I took it. I'm not sure what came over me in that moment but I had to believe that someday it would be useful to someone and I was right. It found its rightful owner in you. You are carrying on the Jedi ways."

Rey took pause and thought back through her journey. Listening to Maz, the event seemed eerily familiar, like she had been there, when Ben burned down the temple, when the Knights of Ren chose the dark over the light. "Of course it can't be possible," she thought to herself, "I didn't even know Luke or Ben when that happened…"

"Is something wrong Rey?" Maz inquired.

Rey sat perfectly still, scanning her memories for the moment…and then, it hit her.

"I...I saw them...the Knights of Ren. I saw them after they destroyed the temple."

"What?"

"The lightsaber, when I first met you, when I touched it, it brought me to that place."

"It is the Force Rey, guiding you and from the looks of it, you are on the right path."

"Maz...if what you say about the Knights of Ren is true…that they are all powerful with the darkside...how can I ever be enough to stop them and how can we get the numbers we need for the Resistance to survive. It all seems so impossible."

"You are looking at it from the wrong perspective, that of a Resistance fighter, you need to look at it from the perspective of a Jedi."

"But Luke was not able to finish teaching me. My training is incomplete."

"Somehow, I do not think you will let that stop you. The Force is with you, you need to trust in it, that it will continue to guide your path and bring you the answers you seek."

Rey became quiet, looking out over the horizon as the last rays of sun set. Taking a deep breath, she knew what she needed to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Red and white buttons illuminated the control panel which shook every so slightly under the thunderous roar of the stormtrooper's perfectly synchronized march as their ship landed in the city of the reestablished Republic under control of the First Order.

Ships descended and took off in the distance of the dark world, snarled by a mist hanging above jagged rocks and a lifeless landscape. In the middle of the unfriendly terrain, the dome of the reestablished Republic stood like a beacon of evil. Seated in the dome were hundreds of compliant nations that now followed, some not by choice, the command of supreme leader Kylo Ren and his loyalists, the Knights of Ren under the close watch of General Hux.

The General had called a summit meeting of the nations where he spoke on a raised platform above a large hall, filled with representatives from the planets who succumbed to the First Order. Behind him the highest seat in the Republic, reserved for the supreme leader, stood noticeably vacant. General Hux spoke to the masses, flanked by the black cloaks and shiny, metal masks of the Knights of Ren.

"We have risen! Welcome to the New, strengthened Republic under the First Order and our warriors, the Knights of Ren! Our reach in the galaxy is nearly complete with the retreat of those who tried and FAILED to destroy us, the Resistance!" Fat flex of spit spewed out of Hux's mouth as he spoke. "We join together now as a Republic, united under our supreme leader...Kylo Ren…" Hux paused and looked over his shoulder to the vacant seat. His wide eyes locked on the empty space waiting for Kylo to miraculously appear. The pause carried an uncomfortable silence for a moment too long. Hux finally gave up and turned back to the crowd. "We will not waiver in our ultimate destruction of the Rebellion! Now with support from your nations, WE SHALL PREVAIL!"

The crowd of representatives stood and applauded as the Knights, statuesque, remained soloum and still, emitting a presence that demanded order and respect.

…..

Meanwhile, Rey sat alone on the rocks, overlooking the barren plain. She stared out into the horizon. Maz had left her to her thoughts, to process the weight of the responsibility Rey knew she would have to take on.

The grey dusk of evening gave way to a sea of stars in the galaxy beyond, the galaxy she was trying so desperately to revive. It had been a long time since she had allowed her mind to wander, to be silent with her thoughts. She needed it, the time to just breathe. Closing her eyes, she began steadily breathing in and out. The soft breeze of the dust around her was all she could hear and it comforted her.

For a brief moment, her mind cleared, She felt the balance of the force inside her, all around her, tiny vibrations filled her, rushing from her head to her fingertips. Suddenly, images came flowing to her, her parents leaving on the ship, scavenging through the rubble on Jakku as a child, the terror in her friends eyes as they ran from the First Order. Fear, panic, and feelings of inadequacy replaced the calm. She began to notice that the breeze around her had stopped. She could no longer hear the soft hum of the planet. A black arrow pierced through the images, leaving darkness.

It was him.

Her eyes flew open and suddenly, he was with her.

She could feel him, his anger, his hurting heart, his need for revenge. The more she felt from him, the harder it was for her to distinguish where her feelings ended and his began. She knew she had turned down his offer to rule beside him because she knew she could not do it on his terms, the terms of the darkside. She felt his sense of betrayal most of all. Knowing the feeling intimately herself how could she not pinpoint its existence. The air grew quiet and still as he spoke,

"You are a hard person to get a hold of," he began.

Rey stared stone faced, straight ahead, unwilling to respond, hoping that somehow she could make this end as quickly as it began.

"You closed yourself off, I could feel it," he continued.

Rey continued to stare straight ahead. After the lightsaber tore apart and she saved the others on Crait, Rey knew Kylo was trying to connect with her. Without Snoke, she realized she had the power to block Kylo from connecting with her but, it took a lot of energy and she could not do it with her mind at rest. As long as her mind was occupied, she could shut him out but not completely, she always felt his presence with her wherever she went.

She knew she had been avoiding letting him in because she did not want to face him or her feelings. It was complicated and frightening to feel herself being drawn to him by more than just the darkside. She didn't want to speak, to give him the satisfaction, but somehow, the words came out.

"As have you in your own way," Rey said, her response thick with disgust.

Ben paused and breathed in deeply.

"Don't test me. You above all people in this universe know who I am…"

"Yes," Rey cut him off, knowing she had to stay firm with her message, "I know you. I have seen into your soul Ben. I know you still have good in you, even in this very moment. Why would you have been trying so hard to reach out to me if you didn't still care..."

"You could have made this so simple, you could have stood by me but you chose to abandon me, abandon the cause…"

"I did what I did for the cause Ben and for you, can't you see that? I tried to save you."

Kylo stared at her, searching his feelings, wondering if Rey could be right but ultimately believing that he was damned to the darkside…

"It's too late. Hux and the Knights of Ren have gathered together loyalists from the galaxy and are preparing to end what is left of the Rebellion."

"You can't let them do that…search your feelings Ben...you know the truth about who you are..." Rey said frustrated, her eyes filling with tears.

She pulled a big breath of air into her lungs, preparing to continue to plead her case when suddenly…

KABOOM

A huge explosion knocked her forward, off the rock, instantly breaking the connection.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaa," she screamed, flying through the air.

Rey laid on the ground, dust covered her face. She stayed like that for a moment, stunned then, her eyes suddenly shot open and she stood up in a fight stance half expecting to see Kylo Ren behind her. Instead, she saw an blue glow and a plume of smoke covering Kamal's hut in the distance. She hesitated only for a moment, looking back over her shoulder, trying to shake the feeling of disappointment from the moment being taken away from her and relief that it had been all at the same time. Spinning around, she refocused her attention and ran in the direction of Maz Kanata and what she hoped was a lightsaber not in ashes.


	4. Chapter 4

The light from the star cluster that had been illuminating their way faded behind them as Poe and Finn found themselves surrounded by darkness. They were descending upon the outer rim.

They had both heard stories of the place they found themselves but neither of them had traveled this far before.

"I can't believe we haven't been spotted by the First Order yet," Finn said trying to sound nonchalant about it.

"I don't think they are going to look for us way out here. We are taking a risk by using resources to get out here in the first place. We are only here because Rose picked up that signal, faint as it was, we could not ignore it. We can't leave any territory unexplored. There might be people here who can help us."

"And why wouldn't the First Order pick up the signal? How do we know they aren't following us right now?"

"I thought she explained it to you. The message came encrypted...in some sort of ancient text."

"Oh, right, and Leia was fairly certain it was a response to our signal for help," Finn chimed in.

"Right, that or, you know a warning to all who dare to come, so we have a 50/50 shot...and I guess we're about to find out," Poe said lightheartedly, trying to keep Finn calm.

Just as Poe was about to dazzle Finn with more of his lighthearted humor, a tremor shook the x-wing.

"What was that?" Finn all but shouted.

"We might be coming into a gravitational field from the orbit of that moon," Poe replied.

Finn tried his best to swallow the growing lump in his throat. Before he could relay his panic, Poe's hand jolted back, losing control of the plane's steering.

"What is happening?" Finn demanded, not even bothering to sound calm.

"I...I can't keep control of the plane," Poe said, panic raising in his voice, "I think we are being dragged into some kind of force field!"

Finn's eyes widened and he sat paralyzed as the x-wing gradually made its descent into the unknown moon of the outer rim. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he whispered as they went down.

…..

The x-wing came down for a soft landing outside a structure carved in the side of a rigged mountain. The moon itself was covered in purple crystal holograph like structures that shot out of the ground. They were thin and tall, spear like in their appearance, almost as if they were warding off anyone who dared enter.

Finn remained silent, afraid if he so much as breathed the wrong way, something egregious would happen. When he finally spoke, his voice came out shaky and concerned.

"That's a mighty large structure to be on such a small moon. What kind of operation do they have going on here?"

Poe, still trying to remain level headed, did not respond. He was prepared to hold his ground by any means necessary. Several minutes passed and Poe bared his teeth in frustration, impatiently waiting for the charade to be over with. More time passed and Poe's need for resolution grew.

"Well, can we get on with it then," he impatiently huffed.

From the cockpit of the x-wing, the travelers finally saw the door to the menacing structure slowly swing open.

A small brigade of armored creatures with long spears walked toward them. A large looming figure lead the group. He was over 8 feet tall. His body looked like it was made up of the same jagged crystal rock formations that were on the moon.

Finn and Poe both sat silently as the group approached. Finally, Poe opened the hatch of the plane and stepped out. A spear met him as he descended, stopping inches from his right eye.

The creatures spoke in a tongue he did not understand. He looked back at Finn hoping to get an translation but Finn shook his head.

Suddenly, the crystal giant reached down and lifted Poe off his feet. Poe protested and swung his fists to no avail. "What do you think you are doing?" he demanded.

As Poe's comotion grew louder, a spear whizzed past Finn's face, landing on the seat where Poe had been moments before. Finn took the hint and got out of the plane quickly. As Finn hurried out of the plane, the crystal monster was already halfway back to the open door with Poe writhing in his fist.

"Hey...hey...put him down!" Finn shouted. His shouts were answered by no less than 5 spears shoved at him from all sides. "Ok, ok! Easy! Easy!" He put up his hands in surrender and having no choice, moved with the crowd of armored creatures into the unknown.

…..

Finn found himself in the dark, cavernous interior of the mountain. He strained his neck but had lost sight of Poe and the big creature ahead. The deeper they lead him into the mountain, the more he began to notice, they were not alone. The mountain appeared to have a massive tunnel system. On either side he could see long shafts leading off in different directions. Some look like they had been purposefully hollowed out. He did his best to crane his neck to see what was down any of them to try and find a way out. Instead, what he saw shook him to his core. Rows and rows of steal droids lined the walls along with rows and rows of parts flying across the ceiling on a revolving track. As he passed by with one final look over his shoulder, Finn thought he saw what looked like a group of more crystal monsters off to the side.

He did not have time to react as a spear pierced his side, telling him to keep moving. After walking what felt like at least a mile, the floor began to slant downward and the ceiling above them opened up to reveal a great room. Light flooded the vast space from some floating object above. Finn squinted his eyes as they adjusted to the light from walking through the dark caves. Small, hallowed out alcoves were embedded in the walls, filled with more of the same armored moon creatures that were escorting him.

Directly in front of him, sat a tall, womanly figure with smooth, crystal skin and piercing blue eyes fixated directly on Finn. His insides tensed up when he saw her, preparing to defend himself by any means necessary. The armored guard parted in the front and pushed Finn from behind towards her so he was finally standing face to face with her.

"So…"she began, "Here you are. You are not who I was expecting."

"You were the ones who took control of our ship!" Finn protested.

"Our scanners indicated that you were with the Resistance. Am I wrong in assuming that?"

Finn shook his head.

"Good, because then, we'd have to kill you," she said giving out a kackling chuckle. The rest of the guard snickered along with her.

"Where is Poe?"

"I could sense that he would not be a good conversationalist at this time, too hot tempered," she said. Finn could not argue with that.

"I was hoping you were General Organa. I sent a signal to her a while ago and I was hoping she would come herself."

"She sent us instead. We...the Rebellion has suffered great losses. The First Order has all but obliterated our resources."

"I'm sorry to hear that. We are so far removed from the fighting here. For many generations, the joined nations of the outer rim have kept out of the squabbles that plagued the rest of the galaxy. We prefer to live in peace and keep to ourselves. A while back, one of the planets in our little corner was attacked by the First Order. It was a small outfit from the First Order who seemed to have wandered off from their unit or decided they would just go looking for a fight. Not knowing what they were up against, they were easily defeated by our friends. And now you see, we still want nothing more than peace and to be left alone. Our nations took a vote and decided that we could not risk having any more offensive intrusions. So, to prevent further invasion and to hide our true identities, we communicated to General Organa. We will join your effort against the First Order, to provide you an army capable of conquering them, under one condition. The whereabouts of where your additional resources have come from is to remain a secret. We have faith that the Resistance with the aid of our army will be able to destroy the First Order once and then our people can finally go back to our peaceful existence. That is why we have chosen this small moon on the outskirts of the outer rim to build our army. We have been working for nearly a year and did not want to contact anyone until it was complete. We have operated under the utmost of secrecy which is why you received the welcome that you did."

Finns heavy breathing slowly evened out as he listened. His fear quickly turned to joy.

"Thank you! All we need is a chance, a surprise attack to gain the upper hand, and then I am confident we can triumph over the First Order once and for all!"

"I am glad to hear that and glad to provide the resources for the benefit of our nations."

Finn paused, his face glossed over with momentary concern, "Um..so is there any chance I could get my friend back now?"


	5. Chapter 5

After abruptly being pulled away from his connection with Rey, Kylo Ren found himself alone, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Rey?" Kylo projected into the void. Startled and wondering how she managed to slip away he focused all of his concentration on trying to seek her out. He could feel her pain, feel her sadness and the heavy burden that he shared with her, how to end the fight over good and evil. His concern for why the connection ended so suddenly was cut short when a loud pounding came from the door.

He grinded his teeth together in an attempt to hold back his feelings and just when he felt he could no longer contain the unbearable weight of everything, the door to his chamber flew open.

Looming large in the doorway stood General Hux and an armored guard.

"Am I interrupting something?" Hux demanded. "Were you talking to somebody?"

Kylo Ren remained silent, his lingering vulnerability quickly turned to sharp annoyance.

"Supreme leader, we have been awaiting your orders," Hux continued.

Kylo did not appreciate being caught off guard in a moment of sorting through his emotions and suddenly sprung to his feet.

"What is it you need, General?"

"I don't think I should have to say this, but the summit needs the supreme leader in attendance. The people must hear from you if you are to lead them."

"I was and will never be one for speeches, that's your department," Kylo Ren said barking out orders. "When I am in my chamber I am not to be disturbed. Do I make myself clear?"

Hux stared at Kylo Ren and with a thinly veiled tone of dissatisfaction in his voice replied, "Yes...Supreme Leader."

"Good, now don't bother to address me again until we have the location of the last of the rebels."

"You heard him," Hux said, turning to the guard, "Get me a full report at once!" He spun on his heel and disappeared around the corner, eager to distance himself from Kylo Ren.

Alone again, Kylo stared off into space, lost in his thoughts. He wondered if he could ever get the connection back with Rey. He knew they were on opposing sides but he could not help but feel the need to talk with her, to exist in her presence as if somehow he could come to terms with himself if he did. Instead, he was left sorting through his own emotions that steamed from the betrayal of an uncle, the absence of a father, the legacy of a grandfather, and the pressure to conquer a galaxy. "It's all too much," he whispered quietly to himself.

And then there was Rey, parentless Rey. Why was she compelled to still do good when she knew she came from nothing? She was abandoned and unloved. Why had that realization not made her turn to the darkside? He shared the pain of rejection she felt. He new it intimately and she was the one person in the universe who had seen that in him. She saw into his soul so clearly and perfectly. She was the one who he allowed himself to be the most vulnerable with who ultimately abandoned him. He knew he had allowed the tests he faced in his own life to turn him into what he had become. Choosing revenge seemed so much easier for him. He told Rey he knew he was a monster, a monster for allowing himself to take the easier path, by killing his father and destroying everything his uncle had worked for.

"I gave her a chance..." he thought to himself, "a chance to rule by my side as an equal and she rejected it...she rejected me." He broke from his train of thought to remember what Rey said, '"I did what I did for the cause Ben and for you, can't you see that? I tried to save you."'

"She tried to save me?" he wondered, "Just like Snoke saved me from Luke and my father. She must have been trying to use me like the others did. She can't possibly care about me, no one has, except…" for a brief moment an image of his mother flashed through his mind. He could feel his heart racing while his mind toggled back and forth trying to string together memories of what it felt like to be loved, to be valued completely for who he was, not who he was related to or who he was capable of becoming.

Then his thoughts wandered back to Rey. Could she be someone he could ultimately trust? Did she really have his best interest at heart?

He did not have to search his feelings for long to realize what he knew to be true... Rey cared about him and he cared about her in return. He realized in that moment that he had been fighting back what he thought was impossible...he still had the capacity within himself to truly value the wellbeing of another person. At the same time, the mere idea of caring for another creature was unsettling to him. He did not want to be responsible for feeling anything for anyone! But then he remembered the way she looked at him after they defeated Snoke's guard. That moment, pieced together with so many others; when he saw how strong she was with the Force in the snowy woods, when he connected with her for the first time, and when she left Luke to come to him, she had really put herself at risk to try to save him.

His mind would not allow him to explore those feelings for too long. Like a sudden change in the wind, the current of his mind pulled him back to all of the horrific evils he had done. How could Rey and his mother forgive him? How could he forgive himself? "I've always fought for what I wanted," he thought to himself, "But there is still too much darkness in me to change corse now. My path has always been decided for me and I am not even sure how to forge one for myself. Feelings or not, it's too late for me to go back now."

The realization that he was doomed to his existence within the darkside filled him with great sadness and frustration. He was trapped not knowing how to cope with his feelings. As his frustration began to boil over, he did the only thing he knew to do.

In one swift, violent motion, he shot up from his chair. Grabbing the arm rest, he lifted it above his head and threw it into the wall. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he clenched his fists together.

"I am nothing more than a monster."


	6. Chapter 6

Rey found herself back at the Falcon with Chewie, after her encounter with Maz, holding a shiny refurbished lightsaber in her hand. Chewie inspected it closely and gave a low growl, satisfied with the craftsmanship he saw.

Rey still could not shake the sensation of Kylo Ren's essence clinging on to her psyche. She shuddered at the thought or was it... possibly... a twinge of excitement? She was annoyed with herself for not being able to distinguish between the two.

She thought back to her conversation with Maz, about the Knights of Ren. The idea of multiple versions of Kylo Ren terrified her. She knew she was strong enough to take on Kylo but not a whole group of demons gifted with the Force. "What am I going to do?" she thought to herself. Then she remembered her conversation with Maz…"Don't think like a Resistance fighter, think like a Jedi."

With that, she jumped up out of the cockpit and walked purposefully back to the cargo hold of the ship. Her legs seemed to move on their own, one step after the next. She found herself standing in the center of the ship and without warning a drawer on the opposite side of the craft flew open. She could not tell if it was her mind making the drawer open or something else.

She let out a surprised gasp and moved a few more steps closer to peer into the drawer, fully aware of its contents. She quickly slammed her eyes shut and cringed as a blinding light shot out from the drawer. The light burned bright for several moments then faded away. Cautiously, she opened her eyes and reached out to grasp one of the ancient Jedi books from the drawer. The frayed edges of the pages pulsated with sparks of light.

"Are you sure you're ready to look inside," a low voice said from behind her.

Rey jumped and lost her grip on the book which tumbled back down into the drawer. "Aaaah," she winced as she spun around.

Rey's eyes immediately grew wide and her mouth flew open in shock. Standing or rather, floating in front of her was a luminescence outline of a figure that appeared to be…

"Luke?..." Rey could barely believe what she was seeing much less utter his name. She could feel her face freeze with fright, completely petrified by what was happening.

"Yes...it is I, the great Luke Skywalker!" he bellowed jokingly, trying to sound important.

Rey blinked, unsure how to respond.

Luke's expression softened seeing that Rey was not in the mood to joke around.

"I sensed you needed some guidance so I came to you."

"How is this happening?" Rey asked.

"Everyone has the Force flowing throughout them. That does not stop when you leave this plane of existence. So even though my physical body is not there with you, that does not mean I have ceased to exist, thus why you see me before you now."

"Oh…" Rey said, trying to process what was happening.

"Rey…" Luke began, "I...I need you to listen to me very carefully. I want to apologize for how I was before. I allowed myself to go from the messenger of new hope, to having no hope at all. No hope in myself, in Ben, in the Resistance, or in you. I was wrong to give up on you….to give up on the Jedi. I came to that realization when I was still on the island, which is why I brought myself to Crait to distract the First Order so the Resistance could escape, with your help of course."

Rey stood still, afraid if she moved or even breathed the miracle occuring before her would end.

Luke continued, "I realize now what needs to be said. I was not completely honest with you before about the Jedi." He paused allowing the full weight of what he was about to say find its way from his thoughts to Rey. "I feel your belief in yourself wavering and I understand what you are feeling. The Knights of Ren are no small adversary. They are not to be taken lightly. I have seen what they are capable of doing. Worst of all, they do not poses feelings or remorse to deter them from unleashing ultimate terror. I blame myself for not stopping them when I had the chance. It's too late for me now but, it's not too late for you."

"But , what can I do now? The Resistance has whittled away to nothing and I'm...I'm alone in all of this," Rey said, a senses of hopelessness filtering through her voice. She looked away, sorting through all of the events from before in her mind and suddenly, she felt anger coursing through her. "You left me! You left me and Leia and now I am here trying my best to figure everything out!"

"Rey, I did what I felt I had to do at the time. Don't let your hopeless turn to anger and consume you! I am here now, the only way I can be. And I am here to tell you that...there are others. Rey, you are not alone. There have been and always will be those gifted with the Force. As long as the darkside takes hold in people so will the light. Search your feelings Rey, you know it's true. There are others all over the galaxy, many in plain sight, right in front of you. You only need to let the Force guide you to them."

Rey stood quietly, still trying to process everything. Her gaze, which had been firmly set on Luke's translucent form, slowly turned to the open drawer. The Jedi book sat where she had dropped it, open to a page in the center. She walked over and reached out, noticing something that seemed out of place. A thin, tattered piece of cloth had slid out from the open book. It's frayed edges smeared with dried dirt. Rey picked it up and turned it over in her hand. On the backside was an inscription.

Luke, If you find this you know I have survived. When the fight turned ugly, I ran. I hope you can forgive me for my couradace. I did what I felt was necessary to protect myself at the time. I will never forget what you taught me. As retribution for abandoning you, I will continue to practice the ways of the Jedi and seek out others who will stand with the light. When the time comes…

Rey tried to make out the rest but the cloth had been torn in half. She looked back at Luke.

"Did you know about this?" she asked.

"No, not at the time…" he paused, "I am fairly certain I know who wrote this and I think I know where you can find him. Rey, I cannot tell you everything you need to know but I can tell you that you can trust your feelings. Let the Force guide you." And with that, Luke turned away, his spirit began to fade. "Oh, and one more thing," he said as the light around him diminished, "…stay...away…from Ben. He is unstable and can still try to turn you to the darkside. I can sense your uncertainty about him, your...feelings for him. I fear getting close to him in any capacity will only cause you pain."

Rey nodded her head, more so to acknowledge what Luke said rather than agree with it. She could not promise to stay away from Ben, almost certain she would have to face him again.

Then, just as mysteriously as it appeared, Luke's form faded away into the air, leaving Rey alone but for the first time in a long time, not hopeless.


	7. Chapter 7

A figure moved silently through the shadows of the crowded market. Rows of covered stands lined the narrow alleyway as tradespeople shouted to passersby. Alien fruits, bins of old First Order ship parts, and piles of linens filled up the space. A sharp, angular cloak covered the face of the figure, barely allowing for the whites of her eyes to be seen.

Hastily, the figure crossed the alleyway, moving towards a door beyond the rows of stands. Stealing a quick look over her shoulder to make sure she was not followed, the cloaked figure moved through the door and quietly shut it behind her.

A few stands down, a small squid like creature craned its neck and opened its cyclops wide, trying to make out who the mystery figure was.

Behind the door, darkness covered her as she moved past flickering torches that hung on either side of the corridor. The narrow hallway lead her to a room filled with switchboards and control panels, a suspicious sight for the poor conditions of the planet. Double checking her surroundings, she paused to make sure she was truly alone before removing her hood to reveal a small braid, keeping her short hair in place.

"Where have you been?" a distressed voice asked her.

The figure slowly turned, knowing fully well she had been caught.

"Leia, we were worried!" Rose continued, her concerned face staring at Leia. "You yourself gave the order that we are not to leave this compound!"

Leia sighed as she pulled out a sack from underneath her cloak.

"I figured our people were getting hungry," she smiled.

"This is no time to be exposing us! We are trying our best to blend in here, hidden among the tradespeople. I can't believe I'm lecturing _you_ about this," Rose said, whispering the last part.

"You are right Rose. But I refuse to let us all sit around and starve," Leia said, throwing down the sack of food. "I guess I am getting restless and needed a walk. I think better when I walk. We need some sort of contingency if we do not hear back from Poe and Finn soon."

Rose sighed, "I know, you are right, but let's just give them a little more time. Besides, where do we have to go? We need to get our numbers up before we can reveal ourselves."

"Yes, I know," Leia responded. "I haven't given up hope, yet."

…

The engine of the Falcon hummed as it entered the atmosphere of the green planet. A thick fog blocked the view of the surrounding area from the cockpit.

"Chewie, engage the sensors!" Rey exclaimed. "We don't want to crash and make a grand entrance."

Rey briefly closed her eyes, she could feel something calling out to her from this place. Luke said to follow the Force and without much thought, the location she sought out seemed to just come to her. Whether guided by Luke or the Force or just mere luck, Rey still remained cautious as they made their descent.

The fog cleared ever so slightly as Chewie maneuvered the Falcon in between a clearing of trees. The ship came down softly. Rey grabbed a communicator out of its charging station and a second one for Chewie. "Stick close to the Falcon, I'll give you a call if I need you." Chewie nodded his head in agreement. As Rey handed the communicator to him, the ship suddenly began to shake.

"Did you feel that?" Rey asked Chewie.

Chewie growled a "Yes," and without hesitating, Rey grabbed two pairs of night vision goggles. She threw one to Chewie who handed her a blaster and they opened the hatch.

Fog quickly filled the space around them as they made their way onto the muddy surface of the planet.

"This place is a big swamp," Rey said, unimpressed, as she sloshed through calf high mud.

Chewie growled in agreement.

Thick air and damp ground surrounded them as they investigated the new world. The area was quiet except for the sound of some birds squawking in the distance and the suction noise from Rey's legs pushing through and pulling out of the muck. Just when Rey was about to comment that they were safe, Chewie lurched back and growled, shooting off his blaster a few yards away.

"Chewie!" Rey yelled.

Chewie's blaster hit a tree off in the distance as Rey ran to his side. Before she could get next to him, something dense hit her on her left temple.

"Arg!" she grumbled, turing to see what hit her. She fired off several shots into the fog. Adjusting her goggles, she could just barely make out the silhouette of a creature in the distance.

"Who is out there?" she demanded. "Stop or I'll shoot!"

Before she could make good on her promise, Chewie gave another growl from behind the Falcon. Instinct took over and Rey ran in his direction. More round objects came flying at her as she ran towards him. Ducking and dodging the entire way, she rounded the ship to see Chewie with several creatures on his back and shoulders. Not knowing what else to do, Rey lifted her blaster in the air and gave off a warning shot.

The creatures fled off into a groove of nearby trees, leaving Chewie disheveled and angry.

"Chewie, are you alright?"

Chewie spoke, acknowledging his anger at being mauled by the beings...he thought he knew what they were.

"Monkeys? Oddly shaped monkeys?" Rey questioned, "Aggravating little mischief makers!"

Almost as if to taunt them, the alien monkeys chirped from the treetops, throwing what appeared to be exotic fruit, daring Rey and Chewie to go after them.

"I'm almost afraid to leave you here with them."

Chewie responded, letting Rey know he didn't think they were harmful, just annoying. He was certain he could keep them away from the ship.

…..

Rey, feeling confident in Chewie's ability to keep the ship safe, set out to explore their immediate surroundings. She had a strange feeling about this place, almost unwelcoming. She had heard talk of it before but, being a new intergalactic traveler, this was her first time in the Dagobah system.

She could feel a presence, something felt like it was coming for her.."Not the darn monkeys again!" she thought. She stood still and quieted her mind. She could feel it, the darkness, it was calling to her. A knot began to form in the pit of her stomach as she realized the place they had come to was thick with the evil magnetism of the darkside. Fear gripped her, she was unsure that she could bring herself back if she had to face the darkness again. Her body shook as she felt it getting closer.

"Don't let it get to you!" a familiar voice echoed through her thoughts.

"Ben…" she whispered.

"Run!" he screamed.

In an instant, Rey found herself sloshing through the swamp. Mud sprayed her face as she ran dodging rocks and trees, trying to get as far away from the feeling as she could. She ran until she came to a small cliff, looking over a dense forest below. Rey gasped for air as she peered over the ridge, almost afraid of what was waiting below.

"What are you doing here?" a very real voice behind her demanded.

Rey spun around and lost her balance, slipping on a slick rock under her feet.

Wiping mud from her eyes, she strained to focus as a tall, thin figure approached her. She could make out his face, camouflaged with dirt and leaves. Her mind raced, trying to think of anything she could to protect herself.

"Stay back!" she yelled, raising her hand to block him. "I'm warning you, stay where you are!"

The man took a step back and reached for his waistband. Minutes passed as both of them unmoving, held their ground, each one's focus locked on the other. Finally, the man spoke, "How did you find this place? Where did you come from?"

Rey slowly stood up, finding her footing. "I...I can't really explain how I found this place. It...it called to me."

The man's expression changed from concered to confused. He stood still, pondering the strange encounter, "You are going to have to come with me."

"And what makes you think I'm going to do that?" said Rey as her body tensed, ready to defend herself.

The man reached down and pulled out an object that Rey could not quite make out. Suddenly, a light appeared and the familiar hum of a lightsaber rang in her ears.

Rey's eyes grew wide...it couldn't be...but could it..was she really face to face with the Jedi she had been searching for?


	8. Chapter 8

General Hux's feet shuffled quickly through the main corridor in the interior of the First Order's reestablished republic headquarters. Teeming with fresh information, his heels barely scraped the surface of the floor as he made his way to the Supreme Leader.

Moving at nearly a full run, Hux stopped abruptly, several feet away from Kylo Ren. Kylo remained still, not bothering to look up to see who had approached him. He seemed lost, preoccupied in his own mind, staring off into space.

"Supreme leader…" Hux began in his usual boisterous tone.

A moment passed without any acknowledgement from Ren. Hux, who was never a patient man, found himself growing increasingly distraught over the fact that he was being ignored. He drew in a deep breath preparing to demand to be heard when suddenly, he stopped short.

The General blinked several times, trying to process what he was seeing. He thought he could just barely make out the slight quiver of Kylo's lower lip, almost as if it was moving on its own. Ren's eyes remained laser focused at the blank space in front of him. Hux had the strangest feeling that somehow Kylo Ren was not alone. He waited several more minutes as impatience surged through every inch of his body followed by contempt. When he was sure Kylo was no longer speaking, or mouthing words into the great beyond, he took a step closer.

"Supreme Leader," he said again, entering Kylo's periferal, "A Rebel ship has been spotted just outside the outer rim, near one of our bases. It is traveling alone."

"Odd," Kylo said, halfheartedly.

"Yes, very considering I didn't think they had any resources left." Hux paused, waiting for a response. "I have several ships from the fleet on their way to intercept them so we can find the whereabouts of the remainder of their pitiful team."

"General!" a secondary officer exclaimed approaching them quickly.

"Supreme leader!" the officer said bowing his head, acknowledging Kylo Ren, "We have a possible lead on the remainder of the resistance. A poor remote planet that is under our command has sent word of a possible sighting."

"A possible sighting, of the resistance? How sure are you of this?" Kylo demanded.

"I admit it is spotty intel to say the least but by your order, we were to report any small trace of them we may find."

"The rebels are not stupid enough to hide on a planet controlled by the First Order," Hux chimed in, with more than a trace of jealousy in his voice for having his discovery belittled. "Send ground troops to the area and report back at once! We won't compromise the fleet for a hunch," General Hux commanded.

Kylo Ren remained silent, trying to decide whether he should reprimand Hux for giving orders in his presence. Ultimately, he decided against undergoing a power struggle in front of the subordinate officer, besides the fact remained that he had more pressing concerns to sort through.

Hux glanced at Kylo out of the corner of his eye, waiting for Kylo to give some sort of ill-timed comment on his character but instead, Kylo turned abruptly and stormed off down the hallway toward his chamber.

"How can he have so little regard for leading us to victory against our enemies at this critical time?" Hux wondered to himself. His eyes narrowed and an unforgiving scowl crept over his face. Knowing he had other problems to worry about, he turned his attention back to the officer, following him to the bridge to watch the events unfold.

...

The engine on the x-wing roared through the cosmic void. Poe, happy to be back in the pilot seat and not held captive by a giant crystal monster, adjusted his scanner. He knew they were coming for him but he was surprised they had not blasted him to smithereens yet. He double checked his coordinates, knowing that he must be close.

"The calm before the storm," he thought to himself. Staring out at the stars illuminating the darkness, he felt overcome with the same joy he had as a child, full of hope. "The galaxy is such a beautiful place. There was never a doubt in my mind what we are fighting for."

He held is position steady, waiting for the inevitable. He did not have to wait much longer before a star destroyer appeared out of light speed, along with several smaller ships.

"I was expecting some of the fleet but a star destroyer!? I'm flattered!" Poe said to himself, trying to keep his spirits up. He had faith in the plan but knew better than to be overly optimistic at this stage in the game.

…

Pacing down the hallway, Kylo Ren moved quickly, needing to distance himself from Hux and the flurry of childish distractions he brought with him. He threw open the door to his chamber and slammed it shut behind him. His head was filled with so much he did not understand. His hands massaged his scalp, as he tried to will away the thoughts that came flooding to him.

"What just happened?" he thought to himself, "How did I connect with her like that in an instant and manage to feel exactly what she was feeling? And where is she that she was surrounded by such powerful darkness? And why did I…try to save her?" He stopped knowing that if he was honest with himself, he already knew the answer to the last question.

At the time of the connection, he was suddenly struck with her fear and her curiosity as the darkness called to her. He reacted instinctively without thinking, like a reflex took over and told him to get her to safety. Working through his thoughts in that moment, it hit him, no matter what side of the Force he found himself on, he could not stop caring for Rey. He could not manage to pull himself away from being concerned about her wellbeing. "Is that why I really killed Snoke? To save her?...No I did it because that two bit snake had it coming. He was using me for his own agenda but when did his agenda become mine? When did I really chose the darkside for myself? Ugh! I can't make sense of any of this."

Unsure of where his feelings were trying to take him, he realized what he needed to do. He cleared his mind and concentrated every ounce of his energy on Rey.


	9. Chapter 9

Rey could feel her energy running low as she continued to slosh through the mud on Dagobah. She had been following the mystery man for what seemed like miles and she needed to rest. She could feel her patience slipping away as her energy dwindled.

"Are you really taking me somewhere or are you just walking me around in circles until I collapse?"

The man stopped abruptly and without turning around addressed Rey, "You seem to not have much patience for someone who seeks out the Jedi."

"There are people in danger! I'm sorry but did I not make my sense of urgency clear or maybe you forgot that several miles back!"

Without responding, the man moved forward, disappearing through a cluster of trees. Frustrated, Rey let out a small grunt and mustered what little strength she had to go after him. Brushing past branches, she stumbled forward. The trees slowly dissipated and there, she saw them. In a clearing, lined with rocks and equipment, stood four others...four Jedi.

They abruptly stopped what they were doing to lay eyes on their visitor. Rey swinted, as their forms took shape. Something insider her knew she did not need to look at them with her eyes, but only needed to use the Force inside her to see their true identities.

She felt courage, strength, patience, hope, protection, but also confusion, loneliness, and frustration. Most of all she felt a sense of obligation, a desire for peace. She wasn't sure if she was surprised by how few or how many of them there were. She knew they needed numbers to go up against the First Order and the Knights of Ren. She was comforted by their presence but kept her optimism in check, trying to be realistic about their chances.

She searched through the faces to find the man who brought her to the training camp but he had disappeared. Staring back at her was a young girl with dirt smudged over her cheeks, two older men who appeared to be twins, and a stout, stockey creature with two sets of arms.

As she finished scanning over the group, the tall man reappeared. He walked past the others, who remained fixated on Rey, unsure how to react to the presence of a stranger before them, especially having been alone together on the planet for so long.

"He will see you now…" the mad said, motioning for Rey to follow him. As she walked passed the others, Rey could feel them reaching out to examine her intentions. She was not naive to the fact that the group was made up of those gifted with the Force and had by some means, received training on how to use it.

After passing the group, Rey could not help but wonder who she was going to see. She thought that she had found the one who she was looking for. They walked several yards to a large, canvas tent, hidden among the trees. The man pulled back the draped fabric and they stepped inside.

Sitting on a rock in the middle of the tent was a man with a short beard. His eyes were closed. His arms rested on his legs. She could tell he was deep in concentration. Without flinching he addressed Rey's guide, "Thank you Clive. You can leave us now."

The man breathed in and out slowly, methodically. Rey stood still, wanting to speak but feeling compelled to let this person, whom she had just met, take the time he needed to process the fact that she was there. After several minutes, he finally opened his eyes.

"I'm glad you came," he said. "I knew this day would come and I was not sure how much time we had. What is your name?"

Rey wanted to smile, knowing that she was a welcomed sight but the urgency of her situation prevented her from doing so. "I'm Rey," she began, trying hard to hold back the flood of questions and information she had to share.

"Rey...I can feel the burdens you carry with you."

"Yes, I...I found your note and we...the resistance needs the Jedi. Now more than ever."

"Clive said he found you wandering around in the darkness, there is a place here that is consumed with the darkside. I have had each of the trainees go to that very place to face the darkside, to confront their deepest fears. So far, they have all succeeded in returning. Clive was there training when he found you."

Rey's eyes grew wide, she suddenly felt a longing to go back to that place out of curiosity and wonder. The feeling tingled throughout her. She had been so distracted with the events that happened between that place and finding Clive and the others, she had almost forgotten that she had felt Ben with her in that moment. "Ben…" her thoughts began to wander but were quickly interrupted.

"I sense you have conflict inside you, when it comes to the darkside. I need to be sure that you are here for the right reasons."

Rey swallowed back a lump in her throat. She could sense his feeling of betrayal and suddenly remembered that he had been there when Ben destroyed the Jedi temple. After pausing for a moment to let this thought settle, she finally spoke, "I came here to find you. The resistance is in trouble...the Knights of Ren have unleashed their power and the First Order has taken control of the galaxy. Luke…" she paused, wishing he was with her now, "Luke trained me, he helped us, the resistance and he guided me to you. He knew as I do that the Jedi are needed to protect and bring peace to the galaxy."

"And are you prepared to do that?" he asked. "Do you have what it takes to defeat these...Knights of Ren if that is what they are calling themselves...to defeat Ben Solo?"

Rey stood still, contemplating the man's tone. She sensed his pain, his guilt and his disdain for Ben. Before she could reassure him she was ready, the words came flooding out of him, like he had been holding back from reliving the tragic events of the past.

"Ben, I knew him..." he bagan, "...and the others, the….Knights of Ren. I saw Ben go to the darkside. I was surprised to see so many others fall as he did. It was shocking to see how quickly they were seduced by the darkside. To destroy, to take lives, it was the most horrific thing I have lived through. And Ben...Ben started off as a quiet pupil. He kept to himself mostly. I remember seeing him training with Luke. He looked up to Luke like a father, put everything he had into successfully training to be the Jedi his uncle wanted him to be. I'm not sure what came over him, how the switch flipped inside of him, but it was like he had all of this pent up anger and rage and all of a sudden someone had given him permission to unleash every last ounce of it. Every single terrible thing, no matter how big or small that happened in his life all came out in one catastrophic event."

Rey shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she became increasingly more uncomfortable listening to the story.

"The night it happened, I was not able to sleep. I was on one of the handful of small cargo ships we kept to get supplies on the outskirts of our camp. I will never forget it. In an instant, I felt pain, suffering and I heard their cries. The cries of those that I had grown to know and care about. I knew that it was too late to save them. I knew they were gone when all I could feel was evil seeping from the camp. I only saw them for a moment, Ben and the others. I knew they would come for the only escape vehicles available so I took the ship I was on and ran... A long time passed before I could fully process what happened and even more time passed before I could figure out what I needed to do...for Luke, for the Jedi. I needed to forgive myself for not being able to stop them. I knew I needed to continue my training, to practice everything I learned. I gave myself enough time until I knew I was ready to seek out others, hoping that one day we might be strong enough and have the numbers to finally go after those who embrace the darkness."

Rey stood patiently, hanging on to his every word. She understood he had a lot at stake, so did she.

"The others you saw, the small group I managed to bring together. They are serious about their training. Each one of them has been affected by the brutality of the First Order. They have suffered great losses. They too are gifted in the Force as I sense you are. They are all that is left of the Jedi now and that is why it is vital to our existence to make sure we are careful who we trust. If you join us, I need to have your word that we can work together in the light."

Rey nodded slowly, intentionally, wanting more than anything to win over the trust of this small but mighty group.

"Very well then, I suppose I have been rude and overbearing by sharing with you a story of that magnitude without first introducing myself. I am Theo. It is good to meet you Rey."


	10. Chapter 10

Poe sat in the cockpit of the x-wing, unflinching, staring at the Star Destroyer. Silently, he counted down the seconds.

From the command center, General Hux watched the encounter unfold over the live feed. "What are you waiting for, blast that plane!" he commanded.

"Sir," a control panel operator said, "We were given orders to capture the pilot to get the location of the remainder of the resistance."

General Hux's face turned a deep red. Clenching his fists, he said, "Patch me in to Supreme Leader Kylo Ren." Before the operator could begin the transmission, the screen they were using to watch the stand off suddenly filled up with more resistance ships, appearing out of nowhere.

"Sir!"

Hux's gaze turned to the monitor. "What….are...those…"

"They appear to be…"

"Reinforcements!" Poe exclaimed from the cockpit. "You made is just in time!" Poe grinned from ear to ear as members of the fleet from the outer rim appeared by his side. Piloted by the alien armored guard and their drone army, several ships smaller in size to the Star Destroyer materialized behind Poe along with fifty fighter planes.

After being released and engaging the crystal leader of the outer rim uprising, Ametrine, Poe worked out a plan for a surprise attack on the First Order. He knew it was risky but with their new numbers, he was certain they could catch the First Order off guard. The plan was two fold, knowing that the remainder of the resistance was counting on them for reinforcements, this surprise attack had been carefully crafted to do just that. He knew the stakes were high for the resistance but he also knew that taking this risk now, engaging in battle, was potentially the only way he could get help to Leia and the others. The First Order would have noticed the large number of ships from the outer rim moving through the galaxy. This attack allowed them to use only some of their resources, leaving the rest to find Leia and the others.

"I need units 205, 405, and 60 to focus on the main power source! Concentrate all firepower on the Star Destroyer! The rest of you, pull up over there, follow my lead. We should be getting company very soon."

As soon as he uttered the last syllable, a flood of tie fighters came flying at them from the base of the star destroyer.

"Here they come! Pull up on the left!" Poe shouted.

Red and green laser beams whizzed through the cosmos as Poe lead the smaller fighter planes on the attack against the tie fighters.

The larger ships in the fleet, stood guard, while the remainder of the fighters raced toward the Star Destroyer.

"Hurry up and get to that destroyer! We have to disable it before more show up!" Poe yelled into his headset.

From the safety of the First Order observation deck, Hux's impatience and anger grew expodentially. "Get the rest of the fleet over there now! We must crush them where they are! And find out who these reinforcements belong to! The First Order shall not allow traitors in the galaxy! And for crying out loud, someone find the Supreme Leader and get him down here. For someone claiming to be all powerful it is very unfortunate he did not see this coming!"

Blasts rang out and explosions could be heard on all sides along with cries for help and shouts of triumph. The battle raged on. Adrenaline was high as fighters propelled forward, dipping and dodging. Among all of the chaos, Poe heard static come across his communicator.

"We've made it past the First Order fleet!" Finn howled with excitement as he flew through lightspeed with the rest of the outer rim army in tow.

"Get off this frequency so you are not detected!" Poe demanded, too concerned with concentrating on staying alive. He spun the x-wing around to avoid colliding with a tie fighter before acknowledging Finn one more time,"You know what you need to do!"

…

Sweat streamed down Rey's faced as she raced to keep up with the others. Her legs felt weak as she sprinted down the path. She had not had a moment to rest since she came to Dagoba and she could feel her body wanting to shut down. Clive was several paces in front of her. She could sense the twins, Cory and Emory closing in behind her, followed by Amell, the alien with four arms. Light Footed and spritely ahead of Clive was Scarlett, the young girl. Directly in front of her was Theo, leading the pack.

Physical training was not the first lesson she was hoping to go through with her new found Jedi companions. Before Theo had announced it was time to train together, Rey filled them in on the details of the state of the resistance, of Luke fighting until the end, and her encounters with Kylo Ren and the First Order. Of course she told them only what they needed to know about Kylo Ren. She was not ready to share the details of the intimate connection they had. Right now she could not think about that, she needed all of her strength and concentration focused on the task at hand. She needed to learn who these Jedi were and learn how to work with them. The Knights of Ren had years to train together and as Rey looked around she knew the Jedi would not have much time at all.

Rey refocused on her stride as she sprung over a rock formation and landed next to Clive. She quickly passed him and caught up to Scarlett. She concentrated and focused what energy she had into her legs and her lungs, willing herself to keep breathing, to keep moving forward.

Around the outer edges of Scarrette's tiny frame, Rey could see Theo several yards ahead. Trees and shrubs flew by on either side of them. She was thankful that this area seemed to consist of only dried mud, not the thick swampy stuff that made up the rest of the planet. Still, she kept track of her footing, making sure she did not find herself tumbling to the ground unexpectedly.

The trees thinned out to reveal what looked like a small clearing. Squinting, she tried to make out what looked like…

"A cliff!" she screamed.

It was too late, Theo had already leapt and disappeared over the edge. Rey dug her heels into the ground, bringing herself to a stop but Scarlett pressed on, appearing to increase her pace as she neared the edge. Rey's eyes grew wide as she watched the small girl heave her body off the side and fly through the air.

"Nooooo!" Rey yelled. Instinctively, her arm shot up from her side. Her hand opened up. Her fingers spread wide. Being too far behind to physically grab Scarlett, Rey reached out with her mind. Scarlett's body jolted to a stop in mid air.

Behind her, she could feel the rumble of Clive and the others come to a stop. Grinding her teeth to muster every last ounce of strength, Rey used the Force to gently bring Scarlett back over the edge of the cliff. Scarlett's face was twisted into a look a disgust as Rey turned her around to set her down.

The others stood silent watching Rey, who was now face to face with Scarlett, waiting for her to speak.

"What do you think you are doing?" Scarlett demanded.

"What was I doing? You were flinging yourself over a cliff! I would have stopped Theo if I'd have known what he was about to do!"

With a scowl on her face, Scarlett motioned for Rey to follow her to the edge of the cliff. Rey moved forward and cautiously peered over the side. Below she saw dozens of ropes and vines fastened together, hanging from various tree branches, descending to the ground. Suddenly, she realized it was set up to be an obstacle course.

Embarrassed by her mistake, Rey turned back to Scarlett, "I'm sorry..I.. I didn't know this was part of the training. I was just trying to save you. This...looks sort of dangerous anyway."

"Well next time have more patience and more trust in us," Scarlett said, looking back at Rey. "Now come on, let's go."


	11. Chapter 11

A plume of smoke rose from the Star Destroyer as cheers rang out from Poe and the Outer Rim Resistance fighters.

"Great job everyone! We've got their attention now!"

Their small victory was short lived as three more Star Destroyers appeared out of lightspeed. Poe had always considered the possibility that even with their new reinforcements the First Order could overpower them. He knew in this moment he had to stay positive and focused long enough for Finn and the others to regroup and join the fight.

"Ok, let's not celebrate just yet," he said, his voice unwavering. "We need to be tactical here. Draw the tie fighters close to the destroyers, we need to keep the playing field close if we are going to have a chance."

Poe looked out the side of his cockpit window. His thoughts turned to Rey and the others. He knew they needed the Jedi to defeat Kylo Ren and the Knights of Ren if they were going to succeed.

He did not have much time alone with his thoughts as a bast from a tie fighter whizzed by his ship's wing. It was never a question for him that he would fight for the Resistance to the death if that's what it took but he wasn't looking to die today, not when they were so close to making a come back.

He barrel rolled the x-wing out of range and swung around the tail of the nearest Star Destroyer, determined to keep going.

…..

Finn held on as the ship piloted by the crystal army from the outer rim came out of lightspeed. He breathed out a sigh of relief seeing the planet where Leia, Rose, and the other Resistance fighters were in hiding. His calm was quickly replaced by worry knowing the planet was occupied by the First Order.

"We are going to have to land outside of the main city to not be be detected," Finn said to the pilot.

"Have you been in contact with any of the other members of the Rebellion on the ground?" he asked

"No, they don't even know we are coming. We could not risk any communication being intercepted. Rose still has the tracker with her so we will be able to locate them," Finn said holding up the tracker on his wrist. "I just hope we're not too late…"

…...

The tracker on Rose's wrist began to blink, indicating that Finn was getting closer. A smile formed on her face and her eyes lit up. Excitement and happiness filled her after what seemed like forever had passed without a trace of her friends. Her first thought was to share the good news with Leia. She looked around the room, eager to find her.

The control room was full of what was left of the Rebellion. A ragtag crew of engineers, several pilots, and others. The mood had been bleak in their little hideout for a while now. Rose was glad to finally have good news to share. She approached one of the pilots, monitoring the security cameras that kept watch of the surrounding area.

"Where is Leia?" Rose inquired.

"I have not seen General Organa for some time," he replied.

A look of concern flashed across Rose's face. "You need to round everyone up and get ready to move. Hiding in plain sight among the crowds of the city has served us well but Finn and the others are on their way back. We can't lead them into danger."

"Finn is coming with reinforcements!?"

"Yes! I know it is great news but we don't have time to celebrate now, we have to get out of here undetected!" Rose grabbed a handful of bags and supplies. "Get everyone ready now! Leave in shifts, we will meet up at the mountain range on the outskirts. I'm going to find Leia."

The pilot nodded and took the supplies from Rose, ready to leave the terrible planet for good.

….

Leia sat at a table in the common room of their hideout base. It was empty as the others kept watch in the control room over their enemies. Her eyes were closed, deep in thought as she reached out with her mind to connect with the Force.

Leia could feel the conflict going on among the stars. She knew Poe and Finn had located the others on the outer rim. She could sense Finn coming to them and knew it was time for the Resistance to leave the planet.

In her attempts to focus and find her allies, she had opened up her sensitivities to everything. An unmistakable feeling took hold of her, a presence she knew so well...Ben. She could feel a shift in the balance of the force around him. "Could this be...has Ben finally found his way to the light?" she wondered.

The feeling of peace flowing through her was short lived. Suddenly, a dark shadow crept over her and snuffed out the light. The room became cold, and in the distance she could hear a faint cry. As the minutes past it became louder and clearer. Something inside of her was telling her to go, that something terrible was happening and she alone could stop it. The cries for help kept echoing through her mind. She tried to focus to see where the feeling of panic was coming from but all she knew was the feeling grew more and more intense. It was suffocating her.

Finally, she opened her eyes. She was able to pull herself away from the terrible feeling only to find herself determined to seek it out, to make it stop. She had to go. Part of her knew it was risky to leave Rose and the others when the time to rally against the First Order was so close but she also knew that everyone had a part to play and her feelings were telling her the part she had to play was down a different path.

Sure of herself, Leia pushed away from the table and looked over her shoulder, making sure no one was coming. She moved swiftly to the hallway that would lead her to outside the compound and into the arms of the hostile First Order city beyond.


	12. Chapter 12

Light flashed across his face, revealing the inner turmoil of a man trying to come to terms with who he was and who he was going to become. The muscles in his shoulders tensed as he swung the lightsaber over his head and brought it down, cutting the air with its powerful red glow.

Sweat formed on his forehead as he continued his movements, forward, strike, up and to the left. His feet moved swiftly, meticulously side to side, every strike precisely hitting his imaginary target.

After sending away the messenger from Hux, his only audience was the shiny, black, metal walls of the training room. It was almost a shame for his graceful movements to go unseen. He felt himself being pulled into a more important direction. He did not feel the need to expel energy on the small Resistance fighters and so he remained alone. With every stroke of the saber, he released his pain. A swivel over the head and more of his uncertainties left him, another duck and roll to the side was him escaping the headon pressures he had felt his entire life.

Kylo, Ben, whoever he was or had been all came out, sweating, grunting, swinging, he could feel his heartbeat in his throat.

…

Meanwhile, on Dagobah, lightning crashed through the clouds. Thunder roared down through the treetops, as Scarlett jumped off a rock and swung her saber at Amell, stopping inches from his second left arm. He moved just in time, shifting all of his weight to the right. He quickly spun around, thrusting his saber in Scarlett's direction. He tried to maintain his focus, but it was hard for him not to be distracted by the twins, Corey and Emory as they smashed their lightsabers together directly next to him. It was a training they had done many times before but since the arrival of Rey, everything felt more real. It was as if suddenly the "someday" they had been preparing for was here and that fact was making his mind wander from the present.

Several yards away from Amell, Rey dodged quickly to her right. The white light from Theo's lightsaber streaked across the grey sky coming dangerously close to Rey's head. Doing her best to summon all of her concentration, Rey swung at his midsection in response. Theo snapped backward, avoiding the strike. He stepped out of the way as Rey lunged forward in pursuit.

Momentarily caught off guard, Rey saw Theo's lightsaber heading toward her in her peripheral. Instinctively, she raised her saber to meet his. A tangle of blue and white light exploded in the air. Rey held her ground as Theo did the same. They stood firmly in place, locked in a stalemate. Their combined determination to expel the demons of their past, encompassed them both. They knew that their goal was the same. Through this training test, they were simultaneously trying to coupe with what had come before and figure out how they could work together to stop the First Order.

After several minutes of standing in a deadlock, Theo stepped back, followed by Rey. He shut off his lightsaber. She did the same. He smiled. "You are very good with a saber," he said.

"As are you," she replied.

"I think we are all finally ready to rest tonight. I'm sure you have sensed it...the resistance will be needing us soon. We still have much to teach the others. And you, have much to share with us about our enemy."

Rey silently nodded.

Theo motioned for the others to stop the training exercise. Each of them stood down, breathing heavily, exhausted from the days events. Theo turned away from Rey to lead the others back to camp.

Rey watched as they slowly walked away, eventually disappearing into the tree line. She stayed where she was as a light rain began to fall. She blinked back small water droplets, her body aching to rest after the exhausting day and yet, she found herself not ready to follow the others back to camp. Even though she was surrounded by new allies she was having difficulty shaking her old habit of being alone. It was a new feeling for her to constantly be in the presence of others and while she always thought of herself as a social person, she realized that being around so many people so for such a long time without a moment to collect her thoughts, was hard for her. Maybe a part of her missed the stillness.

Without thinking, her feet compelled her to move. She could feel something drawing her to go beyond the trees, away from the Jedi camp. The feeling kept pulling her further and further away. She walked out of the clearing, into the shadows. The light from the grey sky was blocked out behind the treetops. She began to feel uneasy as she continued moving further into the darkness.

She could hear the rain falling softly on the ground around her, tumbling down from the trees. Then, in the distance, she thought she heard something move through the air. She took another step and held her lightsaber in front of her, turning it on.

Several feet in front of her was an opening to a cave. She could feel the darkside pulsing from inside of it. She knew she had to turn around, to find the others. But another part of her knew she needed to face the darkness again, to see what she needed to see.

The cave was lined with smooth rocks, a slow drip of water echoed from deep inside. Rey moved slowly, carefully pacing each step, unsure of what she was going to find. She held up her lightsaber but all she could see was darkness in front of her. Placing her hand on the wall of the cave to navigate her way, Rey continued forward, feeling even more drawn to what, she was not sure.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared several feet in front of her. Rey squinted trying to make it out as the shadow solidified to form a familiar figure.

"Snoke!" she breathed, trying to remain calm. She felt his presence reaching out toward her.

Tightening her grip on her lightsaber, she raised it, trying to block her mind from his thoughts. They raced toward her regardless, ready to penetrate her soul. Using her mind, she concentrated on her own feelings, searching for the balance but it was too late, Snoke broke through her. Floods of images played out before her, Ben as a child, Ben when he destroyed the Jedi temple, Kylo Ren, killing Han Solo, and the Knights of Ren, sweeping their destruction over innocent lives throughout the galaxy. Rey was suddenly filled with the realization that Snoke's hold over Kylo Ren had been nearly total. He had been manipulating Kylo Ren, using him like a puppet to do his bidding. She could feel Snoke's hold on her getting stronger with every passing second. There seemed to be no end to the depths of his evil reach.

Rey let out a growl, physically straining all of her energy to keep him from raveging every last corner of her mind. Understanding finally the great pain Ben had to endure as Snoke's pawn, a feeling she was beginning to think would never leave her.

Digging her feet into the ground she mustered all of her strength to swing her saber at the beast, trying to break his hold on her but when she made contact, the saber cut through his image like vapor.

"He's not real," she whispered to herself, then louder she screamed..."You're not REAL!"

The image let out a long, high pitched cackle, daring Rey to try and stop it. Before she could react, she felt an ever growing presence near her, it was familiar, calm, and strong.

"Ben?"

Rey jerked her head quickly to the side. There he was standing beside her, tall and stoic. She could not tell if Ben was somehow part of the vision from the darkside or if he had been connected with her the entire time. She did not have to wait long to find out.

Ben did not acknowledge her, only one presence commanded his thoughts… "Snoke.." he said through a scowl.

Rey stood frozen, for some reason, she could not sense the fear and evil Ben usually carried with him. She sensed he was, lighter somehow, as if the burdens he had carried for so long had begun to leave him. What was left in its place was resentment. She realized she was witnessing something changing in him, that he was figuring out he had been completely manipulated and ultimately betrayed by Snoke.

Ben placed his hand on Rey's shoulder, sending his energy through her. Instinctively, Rey lifted her hand, concentrating all of her energy and Ben's onto Snoke. Letting out a powerful roar she yelled, "Be gone!" With that, the shadowy image exploded into a bright white light and vanished into the darkness.

Rey stumbled slightly, her body trying to recover from the intense loss of energy. Gasping for breath, Rey looked up at Ben, trying to process what had just happened. Through gasps for air, she managed to get out what she needed to say, "It's Snoke, Ben...he's been completely controlling you."

Ben brushed off her revelation, trying to remain in the present, "You have to get out of here, the darkside is too strong," he said with an even tone in his voice. "Go."

"But Ben...don't you see."

"I know Rey! I know Snoke was controlling me...I let him."

"What…?"

"I had no one to guide me, no one believed in me!" Ben said, becoming more agitated. "He saw the potential in me no one had. He gave me a place in all of this. He gave me the power, the confidence to reach my full potential. I know now that I should have found my own way. But no matter how much influence he had over me, it was still me who did those things. I've always carried that with me..."

Before Ben could finish his thought, a sound broke through...

"REY?!" a faint voice called from beyond the cave.

Rey ignored the call, trying to focus all of her concentration on Ben.

Ben looked up as the sound of footsteps grew closer and then back at Rey, with tender remorse. "Please go…you cannot save me."

"REEEEY!" the voice grew louder. Rey could tell at this point it was Theo. She also knew that no matter what had just transpired she could not risk Kylo Ren finding out about the other Jedi. She hoped that her thoughts had not already betrayed them.

She quickly turned toward the sound of Theo's voice, getting ready to send him away. Before she could get a word out, she looked over her shoulder and Ben was gone.


	13. Chapter 13

Rey rushed out of the cave. Stumbling over rocks, she steadied herself as she came around the bend. She tried to maintain her focus but her mind wandered back to Snoke...and Ben. The images kept coming, along with feelings of anger toward Snoke for taking away Ben's life, for completely controlling his body and mind.

"I need to find Ben now, while his heart is in the right place…" she thought to herself.

Just as she rounded a cluster of trees, she came to a sudden stop, colliding with Theo.

"Oooof!" she heard him moan, as they both tumbled back in opposite directions.

Shaking off the rough encounter, she quickly came back to her senses to see Theo, with a look of concern on his face.

"What happened to you? Where have you been?" he asked.

"I must have gotten turned around...I am still figuring out my way around this place," Rey replied, trying not to sound too out of sorts.

Theo paused, studying her, "I sense something is off...what are you not telling me."

Rey stood still, not sure she knew how to answer Theo but not wanting to lose his trust at the same time.

"We...we have to go...it's time. I know we might not be as ready as we would like but the Resistance is counting on us," Rey said hoping she wouldn't have to explain further.

"I need you to tell me what we are up against. We need to be prepared," Theo said, his voice on edge, "We can't just go charging into battle without a plan. We need to learn from the mistakes of others. A Jedi must think before they act…I know you spent time training with Luke, as did I, but I have been practicing the ways of the Jedi for quite some time and I will not risk the lives of the others because you have a sudden urge to go."

Rey paused, considering Theo's request. She knew that he spoke the truth but she also knew that she could not risk compromising timing.

"We will make a plan, but I need you to promise we will join the Resistance fighters after tonight. We could stay and train for a lifetime and not be ready and I will not sit by idly while the people who have given their whole lives to the cause fight without me by their side."

Theo breathed in and reflected on what Rey had proposed, "Very well, we will leave first thing in the morning but now, we must go and prepare the others."

With that, he gestured for Rey to walk beside him back to camp, determined not to lose her this time. As she moved towards him, he noticed her hand clutching her lightsaber as if she was waiting for something or someone to jump out at them from the shadows. His gaze narrowed, something told him not to let his guard down with her just yet.

...

Reeling back on his heels, Ben regained his balance, clinging onto the wall of his chamber. It seemed like with every force connection with Rey, he became more and more physically part of her world. He shook off the thought and began processing his revelation. Just as Rey had always known deep down who her parents were, a part of Ben had always known he had been completely overtaken by Snoke and yet, he continued to let it happen.

After being betrayed by his uncle, he welcomed it. He let Snoke take over his thoughts, his actions, every corner of his mind. There were several times when Ben realized the error of his decision to let Snoke in, but he thought by letting Snoke use him as a vessel for evil, he was finally living up to the Skywalker legacy. Then...the encounter with his father happened. He had let Snoke control him for so long that when the moment came to save his father, he was not strong enough to fight off Snoke's grasp and it still haunted him.

He had been able to push past Snoke's control only momentarily, to try and tell his father that he was still in there, that he was in pain but ultimately, it was too late, Snoke fought his way back, forcing Ben's hand to thrust the light saber into his father.

Ben knew that's why he needed to kill Snoke, to finally free himself. He was so relieved and confused in the aftermath of freeing himself from Snoke that he was ready to forget everything in hopes of being able to separate himself from the action of killing his father.

"That's why I asked Rey to start something new with me…" he thought to himself… "I needed to escape from it. To leave the past behind. If I had gone down the path of the Jedi with her, it would reignite the pain of killing my father and disappointing Luke. I would live with it every moment. There would be no escape."

He rolled these thoughts over and over again in his mind. Knowing that confronting his past mistakes was something he could not do, especially since it meant facing his mother.

He knew now that there was no escape for him, that he would forever have to live with the evils he had carried out through Snoke. There was no going back to the good side from that for him and yet, he still felt something inside of him, calling him to do good, a need to end the grip Snoke and the darkside still had on the galaxy. The fact that Snoke haunted Rey from beyond the grave angered Ben. Even though he was destined to be damned, he knew he would still have to somehow stop Snoke and those he still controlled...the Knights of Ren. With that, he stormed out of his chamber, down the hall, grabbing the first person he could see.

"Prepare my ship!"

He had been so intensely focused on connecting with Rey, he had not stopped to think of where she might be or what purpose she was trying to fulfill. He knew she was not battling with the rest of the Resistance but who was she with? It all almost didn't matter because Ben knew who she would be going after, the Knights of Ren.


	14. Chapter 14

The creaky wheels of the merchant's chart rolled past Leia as she hid in the shadows of an alley behind the Resistance hideout. The crowds at the marketplace swelled in the midday sun. She knew now was her best chance to slip away undetected. Her thoughts momentarily returned to Rose and the others, but she quickly brushed it off, knowing that they had their own path to follow. Pulling her scarf to cover her mouth and nose, she emerged, trying to casually blend in. 

Her heart was pounding in her chest but not from her hurried escape. It beat fast from the pain she felt projected on her. She had not been able to calm her thoughts enough to clearly see what was going on but she knew Ben was in trouble. She had sensed his pain many times over the years but never had she felt a complete shift in his soul, something she had so longed to feel. She knew deep down he had always had good in him but he had been lost and troubled and taken over by Snoke. She never gave up on him, how could she, he was her son and she knew now that she would not leave him in this moment.

Her feet pressed on, moving forward in the direction of the city center. She felt the force flowing through her, guiding her to where she needed to be. She could see the large structures rising up to the sky. She knew she was heading to the tallest one, the one that pierced the sky with its sharp, needle like frame, the building that housed the headquarters of the command unit for the First Order.

Leia knew it would not be easy to enter the tower but as she approached, she saw a fleet of First Order ships take off. "They are heading to the fight with Poe," she thought to herself. She sensed the focus was on her friends in the stars, giving her the opportunity to sneak in undetected.

She took one last look up to the top of the tower and breathed in deeply, summoning all of her strength and courage for what was to come.

...

Dusk rolled over the village as Rose crouched behind a boulder on the outskirts of the marketplace. She looked behind her to see several pairs of eyes staring back. The small band of Resistance fighters were following her lead out of the city to meet up with Finn. A dry airy desert landscape stretched out before them. There was little cover beyond the clusters of rocks they took refuge behind. The feeling was familiar to her and she was suddenly transported back to another time when she hid from the First Order, desperate to escape. A small wave of sadness hit her as the thought of Page swept through her mind.

She shook it off quickly, sadness replaced by a feeling of determination. She was no longer the scared little girl. This time, she was confident, sure of her actions. Rose looked over her shoulder one last time to signal that it was time to move. She shot up from her hiding place and moved quickly, staying low. The desert before them was quiet and peaceful except for the shuffling of feet through the dusty terrain. She could feel the others behind her moving.

She dared not look back, careful not to risk whatever luck she had on her side. The vast landscape seemed to go on forever making the task feel impossible. She swallowed back a lump in her throat and kept moving in the direction of the tracking beacon. Knowing Finn was somewhere close doing the same gave her comfort. She glanced down at the tracker on her wrist. They were getting closer to Finn and closer to hope.

She still could not shake the feeling of guilt over losing Leia. They searched the perimeter of the hideout before leaving but Leia was long gone. Somehow, Rose knew Leia had another purpose to fulfill but that didn't make the decision to leave any easier. With no time to lose, Rose was forced to choose escape with the team over finding Leia. Still, she was determined to come back for Leia, no matter the cost. Her mind kept wandering as she pressed on letting the tracker guide the way.

Without warning, her feet collapsed beneath her. The soft dirt gave way to an open area. Her body slammed into the side of a ditch that appeared out of nowhere. She started to scream but quickly stifled her voice, trying to remain as quiet as possible. Between the darkness, the flat landscape, and her distracted thoughts, she had somehow missed that they were running toward the edge of a large hill.

Moments later she heard the others falling, one by one behind her.

Dust clouds kicked up from the disturbance followed by coughing and confusion. Rose reached out to try and locate the nearest person, wiping the dry dirt from her eyes with her other hand.

"Is everyone alright?" she whispered.

As the dust settled she slowly made out nods from several members of the team. She wasn't sure how she had so badly miscalculated where they were going but she did not have time to belabor the question. She needed to regroup and keep moving.

As she helped the last person to their feet, she looked around, trying to make out if there was a path forward. She found it hard to concentrate with the low buzzing in her ears. She shook her head to the side, hoping that the effects from the fall would stop. After a minute, the buzzing grew louder. She realized the noise was not coming from her inner ear but rather from something in the distance.

The buzzing turned into a beeping and a light flashed into her eyes, momentarily blinding her. Blinking back, her eyes finally adjusted to see where the light was coming from. A tracking droid hovered over the ground several yards away.

"We've been spotted!" one of them cried.

Rose could feel the panic racing up inside her chest. Just as she was about to direct the group to run, a white beam shot through the air from beyond the droid. A quick explosion was followed by shards of flying metal. The droid vaporised before them. Rose remained frozen in place, trying to decide if what was in the distance was friend or foe. She didn't have to wait long.

The tracking device on her wrist lit up, it's twin glowing in the distance.

"Rose?!"

Rose could not stop the smile spreading across her face even if she tried.

"Finn! It's you!" She ran in his direction as fast as her legs would carry her.

They embraced as the others gathered around.

"I'm guessing by the enthusiastic lighting of that dorid that we don't have much time before the First Order comes for us. I have a ship, from the Outer Rim."

"Reinforcements!"

"Yes, but we have to hurry!"

"Let's go!"


	15. Chapter 15

Poe swerved to the right, narrowly avoiding a collision with a group of tie fighters. Perspiration dripped down his brow, momentarily seeping into his eyes. He held on firmly to the controls, knowing this was not the moment to hesitate. This was the battle to end them all. The Resistance fighters from the Crystal planet were doing their best to hold the Star Destroyers at bay but Poe could not shake a small feeling that even these reinforcements would not be enough.

"I need all units on the starboard side of that Star Destroyer to split up. Commandar, take your group and draw the fire away. Sargent, I need your group to take out the powersource. We are going to have to be calculated here and take these things down one by one!"

"Copy that Resistance Leader!"

Poe pulled back and navigated around a group of tie fighters, coaxing them away from the Resistance ships. Dogging blasts, he flew between two star destroyers. He had a visual on the Resistance teams heading for the Star Destroyer. Explosions flashed off to the right in front of Poe as two of the x-wings were hit by First Order fighters. Channeling his frustration, he prepared to double back to try and shake the other tie fighters. Before he could move the controls, he felt his x-wing rumble, smoke began to fill the cockpit.

"Dammit I've been hit!" Poe yelled.

He looked to his left, seeing that the lead ship from the Crystal planet was stationed far off from the battle. He grinded his teeth and hit the accelerator, knowing he had little hope of making it to the allied ship before his x-wing gave out.

The smoke turned into flames, heading dangerously close to the fuel line as Poe's level of panic increased. His eyes grew wide and his heart swelled in his chest knowing that these were his last moments. He thought back to Finn and Leia and the Resistance, a cause he had always known he would give his life for.

Finally, the heat from the flames reach him and he cried out, "I'm going down!" He began to close his eyes, not wanting it to end like this. Suddenly, two tie fighters flew over his ship, blasts from behind him shattered them both, debris flew towards his cockpit. He started to yell but stopped as a cold substance surrounded him, putting out the flames.

The next thing he knew, his x-wing began moving slowly through space, gently ascending.

"This sure is an odd way to enter the afterlife."

The fighter continued ascending until steel doors appeared in his peripheral.

"Something is pulling me in!" he thought.

Images of Kylo Ren, General Hux, and the First Order flooded his mind. Poe tensed up and reached for his blaster, preparing himself for what, he wasn't sure but he would put up a hell of a fight before being taken prisoner. The pull finally stopped and the x-wing dropped down gently on the floor of the foreign ship.

Poe looked around but all he could see were shiny metal walls reflecting back at him. Slowly, he unlatched and pushed open the hatch, remnants of smoke evaporated around him. He turned his head, blaster in hand, not ready for the wave of relief that washed over him when he saw...

"Maz?" Poe whispered.

His confusion was quickly replaced by excitement.

"Maz!" he yelled, bursting with happiness as he hopped down from the smoking x-wing to greet his rescuer.

"Actually, I was thinking more Admiral Maz, but we can work the details of that out later," Maz smiled as she extended her hand.

Poe bent down and flung his arms around her, forgetting the rules of heroic etiquette. He slowly looked up from behind Maz, sensing many eyes on him.

Maz spun around, gesturing toward the crowd. Staring back were dozens of people and creatures, young and old. Poe could see the fire in their eyes.

"While you've been hot shotting it up here with the First Order, I've been gathering up refugees, the oppressed, allies, and a few other special friends." Maz nodded in the direction of a group of children. Poe squinted, trying to make out what was so special about some small children but an explosion outside the craft shook him from his thoughts.

"Do you have anyone who knows how to fly?" Poe asked.

Maz walked over to a control panel and pulled up an image of about 20 other ships trailing behind hers. "I called in a few favors," she smiled.

"Ha! Admiral Maz it is then! I need to get to your communications link. I have to check in with the others from the Outer Rim."

"Not a problem, this way."

...

His ominous figure cast an evil shadow along the sleek floor as Kylo Ren swiftly moved toward his tie fighter. His mind continued to reach out, searching for Rey, seeking any sort of whisper of where she was, who she was with. His mind raced over and over, trying to recall where in the galaxy existed a large volume of darkside energy. He thought he knew of a place…

"Degoba," he whispered triumphantly to himself. "I've got you now."

With an air of confidence, he approached his ship. Before he could get in, an image flashed through his conscience, piercing his thoughts. He stopped abruptly. He knew the feeling of her soul all too well. It was Leia. Her eyes glazed over. Fear, panic, and hopelessness penetrated into Ben's soul. He felt her cry out in pain. He tried to understand what was causing her distress but he found himself unable to see anything but the terror in her eyes.

As quickly as the flash came, it disappeared. He paused, unsure how to process the feelings he was left with. He suddenly couldn't remember where he was going. He only felt an all consuming need to find Leia and stop her pain. He took several steps forward, nearly recalling his original mission but found himself stopping again.

"I need to find Rey and stop her…"

Before he could continue on, a shot of invisible pain punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He hunched over in pain. Then, Leia's voice echoed in his ears…

"Ben."

Staggering to compose himself, he clutched his side and called out to her, no longer able to ignore the turmoil she was feeling as he was consumed completely by it.

"Mother...where are you? Who has done this to you?" he cried out to her in his mind. In that moment, he knew Rey and the darkside would have to wait. Never before had he felt a connection like that with his mother. Her pain was his. They were one.

He knew she was in the utmost danger. He had to get to her right away. He picked up his pace, towards his ship, limping slightly. But just like with Rey, he was left with no knowledge of her whereabouts. With his mind lost in thought, he did not see one of the Admirals walking right in front of him.

"Sir...Supreme Leader Sir," the man stopped just short of Kylo Ren and stood at attention.

Without acknowledging him, Kylo Ren brushed past.

"Sir," the uniform called after Kylo, "I think you said you would like to know when we have discovered the remaining Resistance traitors. It was confirmed, they have been hiding out on one of our small occupied planets, right under our noses."

Stopping in his tracks, Kylo Ren slowly turned to face the Admiral.

"You have absolute confirmation of this?" he demanded.

"We have had visual confirmation, yes. We have not yet engaged with the small group. We believe they will lead us to their reinforcements so we are keeping an eye on them from a distance now."

Kylo Ren's eyes lit up and his jaw hung slightly askew. The location of the Resistance meant the location of Leia. His eyes narrowed and authority took over his voice.

"Send the coordinates to my ship. I will handle this personally."

"Yes my Lord!"


	16. Chapter 16

Rey laid on the cot in the tent she shared with Scarlett. She tossed and turned a bit, wishing she could be with Chewie on the Falcon. Waiting for daybreak was making her uncomfortable but she knew she needed her rest, they all did. She flipped to her side a final time and squeezed her eyes shut. She felt herself slipping into a dreamlike state instantly.

At first there was nothing but darkness. She looked from side to side, waiting for what, she wasn't sure. In the distance a light slowly made its way towards her. She walked in the same direction, stepping into the light, out of the darkness. She found herself in a glass room. Cautiously, she made her way to the edge of the glass only to find it was a window, looking out over a small city. Tiny villages dotted the outskirts. She was in some sort of tall, glass building. It felt familiar yet she did not recognize it.

Suddenly, she heard a faint gasp, like someone was trying hard to breath. Quickly, she spun around to see Leia laying on the ground.

"Leia?" she said softly as she hurried over to her.

Before Rey could reach Leia, a menacing shadow crept out of the darkness where she had come from. The shadow mass snarled and spun to form a shape Rey was all too familiar with.

"Snoke!"

Rey could feel her body tense and her jaw clench. She tried to raise her hand, to use the force but found herself frozen in place. Snoke smiled, reaching out his snake like fingers and bawling them into a fist. From the floor, Leia reached up, clutching her neck, coughing and wincing in pain. As Snoke's grip tightened, Leia's breathing slowed until finally, her body lay limp.

"Stop!" Rey screamed. Rey tried with all her might to move, to break free of the hold Snoke had on her. Her joints ached, like they were being ripped apart from her body.

Just beyond Snoke, a small movement caught her eye.

Hiding in the shadows of darkness, light reflected off of the shiny metal masks belonging to the Knights of Ren. She could feel their power reaching out to her, breaking her apart, piece by piece. She closed her eyes to fight through the pain. As she did, disturbing memories flooded her mind; rejection from her parents, feeling lost, not good enough, hopeless, and alone. The darkside was taking her over completely.

Willing herself to escape, she peeled her eyelids apart, seeking out Leia's familiar face, trying to hold onto the good she knew existed. But when she looked down, it wasn't Leia she saw. In her place, writhing in pain was Ben. She could feel his soul being crushed like her own under Snoke's power. She tried to scream out but only managed to gasp for air as she flung herself forward to break free.

Jolting up, she looked around in a panic, realizing she was back on Dagobah. Just as quickly as the images came, they were gone. Her hands clutched the blanket on her cot. Sitting on the edge of a dream and reality, Rey knew she could not wait any longer.

"We cannot wait until morning. We must leave...now!"

She leapt out of bed and grabbed her pack from the ground by the doorway. Running for Theo's tent, her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. Her adrenaline running high, she tried to focus her energy on rounding up the others but her mind kept going back to the images of Leia and Ben. Her friend and her enemy, yet she couldn't figure out who she was more desperate to save.

….

Keeping to the shadows of the First Order headquarters, Leia moved silently from room to room. Following her feelings, she knew she was getting close. Ben was nearby.

She peered around the corner to see a single storm trooper patrolling the hallway. Moving swiftly, she reached out with her mind, using the force. The blaster shook, and dislodged from his hands. Flying across the hall and crashing into the wall. Startled and confused, the storm trooper moved toward what was left of the blaster, crouching down to examine it.

Leia seized the opportunity and moved past him, unnoticed. She felt herself being drawn toward the end of the hallway. A set of double doors waited for her, almost calling her to see what was beyond. She hesitated, not knowing for sure what she would find, fully aware she was alone and unarmed. She closed her eyes, calling out to Luke.

"Give me strength dear brother."

Without waiting for a reply, she gently pushed open the doors. Bright light from the glass windows at the back of the room illuminated a grim scene before her. Ben was nowhere to be seen, instead standing tall, beacons of evil, were the Knights of Ren. Flanking them was General Hux.

Something inside of her immediately initiated the fight or flight response. As if almost an outside presence filtered through her body, moving her hands, she raised her arms and grabbed one of the Knights, using the force, sweeping him off his feet and thrusting him into the wall. She did not give the others time to process what had happened, raising her other hand she brushed through the rest of them, knocking them off their feet. Quickly, before they could regain their footing, she flipped the long table in the center of the room that was separating her from them and pushed it over on top of them.

Closing her eyes, she pulled on the floor to ceiling glass windows behind them with her mind. The glass shattered, creating a suction, pulling the Knights toward the edge of the building and Leia toward them. She quickly grabbed onto the door frame, slowly inching herself back into the hallway while the Knights tried to regain their stance.

Moments later, she felt the safety of the hallway beneath her feet, slow relief washed over her. The relief did not last long. A violent hold suddenly came over her, lifting her from the safety of the hallway, pulling her back. She slammed into the side of the far wall in the glass room. Hre body crumpled onto the floor, knocking the wind out of her.

As she slowly came to, the Knights loomed over her. Their energy humming around her. The two closest to her moved to the side. Behind them a soft glow of a familiar figure took shape, the darkside manifesting from beyond the grave.

A snarling smile greeted her from the entity of the dark Lord Snoke. His form was not of their world but of the world beyond, like those powerful with the force before him, he found his way back to the living in spirit form. His sinister soul undeniably present.

"I see you have fallen quite literally for our little trick,' he hissed in delight.

Leia gasped, trying to recover her breath but finding it hard to get any air.

"You seem to be having trouble catching your breath. No matter. I'm sorry to say it isn't you I am after but your traitorous son! Your inevitable demise is an added bonus. We needed you to believe your precious Ben was in danger in order for you to come directly to us. It was all too easy really. You see we needed you under duress to trigger the connection with your son, thus leading him directly to me. You and I both know Kylo Ren has been battling internally against my hold on him...his transformation to the darkside should have been easy but his power is one I have never seen before. His loyalties to the darkside seem to waver whenever you are in his thoughts or that girl is near. I should have been able to crush his soul when I had him but somehow that Skywalker blood kept him from my complete control. It seems your family is cursed with walking the line between good and evil but no matter. The combined effort of my soldiers will destroy Kylo Ren and they will rule the galaxy under the guidance of the darkside. You and the boy are the only Skywalkers left standing in our way and now, having tricked you into believing your son is in danger, we have succeed in doing the same to him! He knows you are in danger and he is heading here. Now we wait and soon there will be nothing left of your pathetic legacy! No one will ever utter the name Skywalker again!"


End file.
